Introduction
It’s good to make friends. We’re social animals. You plant the seeds, and sometimes when you don’t expect it, you’re surprised by fruit.
There was nothing to do about Anderson Northwinds but wait for the other shoe to drop. But purely by accident, they stumbled on Izzy Cordova’s trail.
And I knew. I knew Aiden would have to follow it. Wherever it led.
-The Memoirs of “Gentleman” Jack Cartwright
21 February, WY603 – Helena
Current Contract: They’re Trying To Make Slaves of Us
The next day as everyone is recovering from the celebration, Dirk and Aiden meet. Dirk relays the story of Calliope in the battle and expresses his concern about her ultimate autonomy. He’s fairly positive that the inevitable civil rights litigation would go poorly for Calliope in Council space, but may be in her favor in Jericho.
The crew also confirms with the town that the armaments they delivered will be staying to help defend Anderson Northwinds for the long haul.
Aiden confesses to having made a failed attempt to steal the artifacts from Grove, which explains why the mysterious organization behind Dauntless thought the crew may have conducted the theft. The conversation exposes some of Aiden’s obsession with his research in the aftermath of the fateful expedition to Solace.
Later that evening, the crew gathers in the bunk house previously occupied by Izzy and Wei and discuss next steps. Aiden makes the same confession to the rest of the crew, and he, Dirk, and Cara argue for a time. Aiden wishes to follow the trail of Cordova - as does Tomoe, who discovers privately that she and Cordova share an ancestor in Gareth Wright, the Jericho man who went mad operating the gate - but the rest of the crew is dubious about the risks and, fundamentally, how it would be in the company’s best interests to do so.
Since there is little to do but wait till word (and potential reinforcements) arrive from Whistler, the crew feels like investigating the murder on ITC Marginally Better Than Prison when it arrives in the coming days is relatively harmless.
As the discussion goes on, the wind outside begins to pick up, and it becomes clear that another gravity storm is spinning up on Helena. The crew fears what may be coming through the gate.